In recent years, there has been an increasing need for image processing techniques for extracting desired data from an image photographed by an imaging apparatus such as a camera. Examples of expected techniques include one that detects a face of a person captured by a surveillance camera, extracts parameters indicating features such as eyes, a mouth, or hair from the detected face, compares the extracted parameters with previously prepared corresponding parameters, and acquires information such as an age or a sex of the person captured by the surveillance camera.
As an example of a technique to which such an image processing technique is applied, a remote meter-reading system is disclosed in Patent Literature (hereinafter, abbreviated as “PTL”) 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a remote meter-reading system disclosed in PTL 1. Referring to FIG. 1, the remote meter-reading system includes remote meter-reading apparatus 10 and meter-reading sensor 20.
Remote meter-reading apparatus 10 includes: imaging section 11 that photographs indicator value display 2 of meter 1; pattern recognizing section 12 that generates indicator value pattern C based on original image A photographed by imaging section 11 and recognizes indicator value D; determining section 13 that determines whether or not the recognition result is valid; and communication section 15 that transmits predetermined meter-reading data to meter-reading center 20 via communication path 3 based on the determination result.
When determining section 13 determines that the recognition result is valid, remote meter-reading apparatus 10 transmits indicator value D as meter-reading data. Meanwhile, when determining section 13 determines that the recognition result of at least some digits of the indicator value is not valid, remote meter-reading apparatus 10 transmits determination result F, original image A, and indicator value pattern C, or intermediate image B for the data as indicator data.
Meter-reading center 20 includes: communication section 21 that receives predetermined meter-reading data such as an indicator value or image data via predetermined communication path 3; second pattern recognizing section 22 that recognizes indicator value E of digits determined as being invalid in the recognition result at least in remote meter-reading apparatus 10 from original image A, intermediate image B, or indicator value pattern C received from remote meter-reading apparatus 10; second determining section 23 that determines whether or not the recognition result obtained by second pattern recognizing section 22 is valid; and meter-reading result recording section 24 that records indicator value D received by communication section 21 and indicator value E recognized by second pattern recognizing section 22.
According to above-described remote meter-reading system, even when a remote meter-reading apparatus cannot recognize or erroneously recognizes an indicator value, it is possible to correctly recognize an indicator value from a remote site such as the meter-reading sensor.